A major concern across the nation this week has set off alerts and rightly so as it is one that affects our youth. When that happens everyone stands ready to protect in whatever means possible. Vaping, the use of an E-cigarette (electronic or battery operated) is the culprit in this case.

God’s written word never ceases to be relevant. I encountered this truth first-hand while preparing my sermon on Matthew 25:31-46. This passage depicts Christ as both judge and king who separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep are placed on the right, signifying their righteousness. The goats are moved to the left, signaling their condemnation.

60 years of food, fun and fellowship.

It’s a well-known truism that one need the right tools if one is to do the job right.

“No day shall erase you from the memory of time.”

It might not be on your calendar, but Aug. 14 is Social Security Day. Since it was enacted on Aug. 14, 1935, Social Security has provided some financial support for millions of Americans during their retirement years. While Social Security benefits, by themselves, probably aren’t enough to enable you to retire comfortably, they can be a key part of your overall retirement income strategy – if you use them wisely.

When it’s hot in Texas, it’s hot and when it’s not, it’s not. It has truly been a hot few weeks lately with Labor Day being one that had everyone seeking a cool spot. Charlie’s Sno-Balls & Seasonal Tanning was the hot spot for a cool down with colorful icy treats especially upon that day…

Ever since I read John Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil while working at a bookstore–when I should have been dusting shelves or replacing the urinal mints in the men’s room–I’ve had a strong desire to visit Savannah, Georgia.  As luck would have it, my wife recently invited me and two of our girls tag along with her on a business trip to the Hostess City of the South while my eldest and most expensive daughter stayed home to attend dance team practices and victimize my VISA card.

“It ain’t the heat, it’s the humility.”

Although Genesis 6:5 can rightly suggest that in some sense things could not get any worse, our society seems to be sliding more towards lawlessness. Consider first the standoff last month in Philadelphia where six officers were shot by a gunman while crowds of onlookers taunted, shoved, and threw things at the police. Consider second a school curriculum with anti-police rhetoric proposed last month by the California Department of Education (but eventually withdrawn). And, other examples abound.

4 Star Cinema’s fall Kilgore Film Festival says “Hello” Wednesday night with “The Farewell.” It’s the first of six movies in the September/October lineup at the Hwy. 259 venue, including several new out-of-the-mainstream narratives and three documentary features.

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Wishing is not enough; we must do.”

Labor Day is upon us. It is a day that honors the American labor movement and contributions that workers have made to the development and growth of our country. It is always celebrated on the first Monday in September allowing workers to celebrate a long weekend of last official holidays off…

“Labor Day symbolizes our determination to achieve an economic freedom for the average man which will give his political freedom realty.”

In January 1931, call it 89.5 years ago, 76 residents – all eligible to vote in Texas elections – petitioned Gregg County Judge W.R. Hughes for an election to incorporate the rural hamlet of Kilgore.

Aside from whatever other heart trouble any one individual might have, the real heart problem from which we all suffer is a moral evil so great that we ourselves cannot understand but which ultimately only the Lord can diagnose, as expressed in His Word (Jeremiah 17:9-10; confer Luke 16:15; Romans 8:27; Revelation 2:23).

“No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”  

For the past dozen summers, my family has made the drive of nine or more hours (depending on the number of putrid gas station restrooms we visit) to Orange Beach, Alabama.  This year, in addition to my wife and three daughters, I was accompanied by my mother, my in-laws and two of our nieces, so the drive basically took the entire month of July.

God’s written word never ceases to be relevant. I encountered this truth first-hand while preparing my sermon on Matthew 25:31-46. This passage depicts Christ as both judge and king who separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep are placed on the right, signifying their righteousness. The goats are moved to the left, signaling their condemnation.

In a world filled with various diets and the latest fads for weight-loss and body-building, it is common to find serious problems getting tossed in to the mix. Gluten-free products address a real health issue called Celiac disease; much like sugar-free products for diabetes, it has been caug…

“Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it’s unbelievable.”

A year ago, Jessica Dunnavant struggled to envision today, but she’s seen things happen the past year she’s never thought possible. It’s no leap forward, though: there were many, many steps in-between, guided by Son Shine Lighthouse Ministry. Now, there are many more steps ahead, sure ones: “It’s given me a new outlook on life.”

The world famous Kilgore College Rangerettes named new officers after tryouts Aug. 16 at the annual Rangerette Show-Offs.

“Today you will meet a beautiful stranger. Actually hundreds of beautiful strangers. Everyone is beautiful and you know almost none of them.”

At the risk of this column’s being mistaken for one by my syndicated Kilgore News Herald colleague Dr. Roach, I encourage everyone to take care for themselves, their families, and their pets in our August East Texas heat! Especially those who work outside should drink extra water and, when they can, take breaks inside air-conditioned spaces. And, after several fatalities nationwide, apparently not to leave either family members or pets in turned-off cars does not go without saying.

December 7, 1941: Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, our base of naval operations in The Pacific.

THERE were three that never gave it a second thought, three gals who stood at the end of a grocery aisle perusing the multitude of jars and trying to decide which one to purchase that was the closest to what they were accustomed to eating.

“The month of August had turned into a griddle where the days just lay there and sizzled.”

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”

Kilgore ISD has wrapped up the majority of work on a new Outdoor Learning Area at Chandler Elementary in time for the new school year to begin.

The title and illustrated cover of the book could easily be defined as an attention grabber. It is one that piques the curiosity enough to draw you in, to curtail the desire of wanting to know the rest of the story and even more so after hearing the author speak.

Kilgore’s Boy Scout Troop 252 has been growing over the past few years, thanks in part to efforts by Scoutmaster Mitchell Hancock and his wife Aimee.

To visitors from all over the world, the city of San Antonio is a salsa-infused melting pot of Texas history, art, and culture. To the delight of my three daughters, however, it is so much more. In fact, they could do without the history, art and culture altogether as long as they’re within walking distance of a Starbucks, a fashion retail center, and an appropriate backdrop for a cute selfie. Luckily for them, San Antonio has it all, and all of it accepts my credit cards.

“We can’t heal the world today, but we can begin with a voice of compassion, a heart of love, an act of kindness.”